


Underneath the Stars

by BlackSky83



Category: Chronicles of Narnia (Movies), Chronicles of Narnia - All Media Types, Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis
Genre: Dancing, Friendship, Gen, Remembrance, Sibling Love, The Kings and Queens of Old, Traditions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:14:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24458035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackSky83/pseuds/BlackSky83
Summary: On a night of stories and remembrance, Caspian, and the crew of the Dawn Treader, get a glimpse of the Golden Age, and realize just how much Narnia truly lost.
Relationships: Caspian & Edmund Pevensie, Caspian & Lucy Pevensie, Edmund Pevensie & Lucy Pevensie
Comments: 7
Kudos: 205





	Underneath the Stars

**Author's Note:**

> Beta: BabyGenius

Night had fallen, the lights shining from the _Dawn Treader_ seeming the only hint of civilization for miles. The sailors, together with the Queen and King from a time past, laughed boisterously between drinks, telling stories of old adventures. The stars, far and bright as only in Narnia they could be, seemed to come a little closer to hear the countless anecdotes from old soldiers, for the lights of the universe had always been known for their curiosity, as infinite as the sky in which they rest. Around them, the ocean remained silent.

Caspian lay against the main mast, a soft smile on his lips, as he listened to his subjects. He took a sip from the ale on his hand, a privilege he rarely allowed himself on his travels.

“It was an honorable battle,” Reepicheep ended, thrusting his sword towards the sky. There was applause and laughter while the small mouse bowed proudly.

Travos, the only minotaur on the crew, stepped forward, surely to start his own story, as many had done before him that night. He opened his mouth, ready to begin, but no words left him before he closed it again, a contemplative glance passing through his eyes. He turned his huge head towards the ship’s railing where, slightly apart from the group, Edmund and Lucy listened carefully. Caspian could barely see their expressions, though, still from afar, they both seemed to smile sadly.

“Your Majesties,” he began, inclining his head on a bow, “would you do us the honor of gracing us with a story from the golden age?” Caspian, as well as all the sailors, turned their head towards the old monarchs, who had remained silent that night of remembrance.

The Valiant and the Just shared a look with too much weight for their young bodies. A conversation, which only they were privy to, passed in a matter of seconds through the eyes of the teenagers. Finally, Edmund inclined his head, making Lucy smile. She stood on her tiptoes to kiss her brother’s cheek before walking to the center of the circle the Narnians had formed.

“In the second year of our regency, when we were only learning the borders of our kingdom, we went to one of the Faun’s lovely traditional dances…” Lucy started relating, her face brightened with joy. She had only gotten into the story, when a restless movement and sound from Nausus, one of the fauns on board, unwillingly interrupted her.

Lucy turned her head, giving him a warm and concern look. The faun looked flustered, embarrassed at having interrupt his Queen. He bowed, muttering an apology, but Lucy shook her head, gently asking him to speak. He asked, so soft his voice was almost an imperceptible whisper.

“What traditional dance?” Lucy’s face fell and, to Caspian, her eyes seemed to shine with unshed tears.

He felt the familiar knot of guilt in his chest. For three thousand years, the Narnians had been hunted like animals; of course, the traditions of their people would be lost in history. It had not only been lives that were lost during the massacres. A solemn silence descended upon the ship, a hush no one seemed willing to break. Caspian wrack his brain for words, anything that would end the tension, but nothing seemed enough for the tragedy they hadn’t been aware of.

“Would you allow me this dance, Sister Mine?” Edmund, somehow, had moved to the center of the circle, where Lucy had still not moved a muscle. The youngest moved her eyes towards her brother, who was bowing slightly, his hand outstretched in invitation. The Just’s smile was tender, with sorrow sticking to its edges. Lucy, still without uttering a word, nodded, stretching her skirt and curtesy, before grasping her brother’s hand. 

For years, the crew of the Dawn Treader would talk about that moment among reverent whispers, none of them quite understanding what they had seen that day.

Caspian, from his place, watched as the siblings started a slow dance, whose melody only they could hear. Gradually, their feet quicken, their laughter beginning to resonate with the waves.

Caspian, for a few moments, was transported to a gorgeous forest, hundreds of fauns dancing to an ancient song. The trees laughed, surrounding the dancers between their twirling leaves. In front of him were no longer two monarchs trapped in children’s bodies. No. Instead, two adults, the man with a warrior’s body, the woman fierce and radiant, followed the forest’s music, as if the nature were their home, as if they were connected to heaven and earth. As if the world was theirs, and they were of the world.

The vision faded, and yet he could still see the Queen and King dancing with joy. They broke apart, sharing a brilliant smile before each went looking for other couples. Nausus, who had been watching them with admiration, stumbled when Lucy grabbed his hand. Still, it wasn’t long before he followed the dance, for, even if his body didn’t know it, his blood remembered it.

Soon, each sailor had been dragged into the circle, unknowing and unperfect, but embracing the traditions they did not know they had. The laughter and exclamations replacing the music that in times long past would have surrounded them. Even Caspian was tugged in between jumps and joyful screams, his laughter coming freely out his throat.

They dance and dance underneath the moonlight, the stars as their witnesses, until the oil on the lamps was burned out, leaving them only with the brightness of the sky.

Slowly, they all stopped, exhausted but cheerful, until only Lucy and Edmund were left on their makeshift dance floor.

They kept dancing until only the crash of the waves against the wood could be heard. When they finally stopped, they remained silent, their hands intertwined, their forehead pressed one against the other. To Caspian, there seemed to be two shiny silver crowns upon their heads, with something ancient, wild, refined, and precious hugging them. 

Distantly, he could hear the roar of a lion.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed it! 
> 
> My eternal gratefulness to BabyGenius, who Beta the story. 
> 
> Please do leave kudos and comments if you liked it! C:


End file.
